Star Fox: Galactic Voyage
by AcetheAlien
Summary: It's been one year since the Aparoid invasion and Corneria is in a vulnerable state. In the process of recovering, a group of invaders begin their conquest, and it's up to the Star Fox team to stop them. But in the midst of battle, they're pulled away to a part of space outside they Lylat System where they've never been before. Can the team make it back before Corneria falls?
1. Prologue: Rising Forces

**This is my first time writing a Star Fox fanfiction and the second story I've ever written, so I'm still fairly new to this. I haven't really played Star Fox games much, but I've known about the series and have wanted to write about it for a while now. **

**There are also a few differences between what's canon and in this story. You know that long 8-year gap between Star Fox 64 and Adventures? Yeah, I shortened it to 4 years. And let's just say that Command never happened, although whether or not it's canon was ambiguous to begin with.**

**The story takes place after Assault and has some new enemies and characters that hopefully won't make your eyes burn. **

**I hope you enjoy reading it!**

* * *

All was quiet in the Lylat System ever since the Aparoids were destroyed one year ago. The devastation and grief the invaders had caused was difficult for everyone to bear. But thanks to the efforts of the Star Fox team, the Aparoids were defeated, and the Lylat System was saved. However, the Aparoids had left behind so much destruction and among the planets, Corneria had been hit the hardest.

Fortunately, the recovery process following the invasion was going by smoothly; and it wasn't long until the citizens of Corneria were back on their home planet, enjoying the peace. Not all wounds had fully healed, though, and everyone hoped that somebody… or some_thing _wouldn't plan to attack them during this time of vulnerability.

In a dark, distant part of the Lylat System, a large cruiser accompanied by many other frigates and starships made their way closer and closer to their destination.

"At long last, the time has finally come…" A tall, dark green lizard mused. He was dressed in a beige military uniform, with a matching bullion hat. His uniform sported many medals and badges, signifying that he was of high rank. The lizard kept staring at the stars out the window when the door behind him opened.

Another soldier in a red uniform entered the room. "General Cobra, sir!" he saluted.

General Cobra kept his back toward the soldier as he continued to look out the window. His eyes glanced toward the other soldier's reflection. "What is it, Lieutenant? State your business."

The Lieutenant brought his hand down. "Sir, we've just now crossed into the Lylat System's borders."

"Hmph." Cobra crossed his arms and shook his head disapprovingly. "You say this as if it's dire information that I absolutely must know."

"Well, isn't it?"

"Of course not!" the General quickly turned around and glared at the startled Lieutenant. "You mean to tell me that you came all this way just to inform me of something I already knew?" he hissed.

The Lieutenant trembled in fear. "I- I didn't know, sir!" he stuttered as he took a step back.

Cobra sighed, shaking his head again. "Honestly, I would expect the Komodo forces to have a little more common sense. I've been in the Lylat System once before, back when I was but a Captain." He paced back and forth, occasionally checking to see if the Lieutenant was still paying attention.

"Years ago, the Komodos crossed the border with one purpose- domination. Unfortunately for us, the general was a bone-headed idiot who thought a single team of mercenaries posed a threat. Even when he retreated, I fought back." He clenched his fists. "I was right. The team only had three pilots and they didn't stand a chance against us, no matter how skilled they were. But then… _he _showed up."

"Who did?" the Lieutenant asked.

Cobra grimaced. "The 'Legendary Pilot.'" He paused, when he saw a look of confusion on his subordinate's face. "A… phenomenal pilot well-known throughout the Lylat System. He came to this team's aid, and he brought reinforcements with him as well. Soon, I was forced to retreat as well, and we haven't crossed the border since."

The Lieutenant said nothing. He simply nodded.

"But now I am the General. Things will not end the same way they did before. Instead of relying on sheer power or thick-headedness, we will use razor sharp wit and cunning strategy to expand our power. And it all starts with _that_ planet!" the General pointed at a tiny blue speck in the distance.

"Planet Corneria, sir?"

"Of course, Lieutenant. Corneria is in a rather…" He paused for a moment to think of word, "defenseless state at this time. They're still in the process of recovering from their last invasion." General Cobra smirked. "After all, it was very kind of the Cornerian Army to take out the Aparoids for us, wouldn't you say?"

"Er… yes, of course." He hesitantly agreed. "Although, the Dimitri System wasn't so brutally attacked by the Aparoids as other parts of the galaxy."

"True, but they were pests nonetheless." The General turned back to face the window again. "Tell Damon to assemble the troops and prepare for battle when we reach Corneria."

"Yes sir." The Lieutenant saluted. As he was about to leave, he stopped and looked back at the General. "I do have one question though. Do you think this Legendary Pilot will be of any threat to us?" Cobra didn't respond, although the Lieutenant heard the general chuckle to himself before he left.

"This time, nothing will stop the Komodos from their conquest…" Cobra said, pointing at Corneria again. "The Lylat System will be ours!"

* * *

**Just gonna point out something about General Cobra, he's a Komodo Dragon along with most of the rest of his forces and not a cobra. ****This was pretty much a prologue to get the story started. Next chapter, we'll meet the Star Fox team!**

**I'd like to know what you think so I can try to improve, so feel free to leave a review!**


	2. Reporting for Duty!

**So, here's the next chapter. It's a lot longer than the first one, and since Command never happened in this fic, things are going to be a little different, mainly the Great Fox. But I already said that in the last chapter.**

**Speaking of differences and things I already said before, because the time between gap between 64 and Adventures is only 4 years in this story, that means the characters are going to be a little younger. So this would make Fox and Slippy 24, Falco would be 25, and Peppy would be... 47-48ish? Krystal's a special case, though. In this story, she's 19. But ages aren't really the most important thing I should be talking about, so I have no idea why I'm talking about it.**

****On another note, Star Fox has been confirmed for the Wii U! I'm so excited!****

**Anyway, enough of my unnecessary rambling, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

It was a peaceful morning in Katina for the Star Fox team. Peppy Hare, the team's senior advisor, was busy going through some old paperwork. Meanwhile, the ace pilot, Falco Lombardi, was kicked back in a chair, not paying much attention to anything around him. As for the leader of the Star Fox team, Fox McCloud was focused on a space simulation game he was playing with Krystal, a vixen with the special power of telepathy.

"Not bad, Krystal." Fox said to her after she managed to shoot his ship down. "You've gotten a lot better at this."

Krystal smiled. "Thanks. I thought you almost had me there."

Fox scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting you to corner me. That was a good game."

Her smile turned into a playful smirk. "Do you want a rematch?"

He was about to nod when Slippy Toad, the team's mechanic, rushed into the room. "Fox!" he shouted, gasping for breath as though he had just run a long distance.

"Wha-? Slippy! Can't you be a little more quiet?" Fox chided. His entrance was so startling, it made Fox jump a little. Peppy fell out of his chair, groaning in pain as he struggled to get up. However, Krystal didn't seem at all surprised and Falco merely opened an eye before he realized it was just Slippy.

Fox sighed. "Well, what is it?"

"It… It's done!" Slippy wheezed, trying to catch his breath. "They just finished with the final parts. Come outside and see it!"

"See what?"

"What do you think, Fox?" Falco said bluntly. "Why have we been in Katina for the past few days? Isn't it obvious?"

"Wait, you mean…? Oh!" Fox felt like a fool for not remembering. "They just now finished building it?"

"That's right!" Slippy replied. "The Great Fox II is all set and ready to fly!"

**…**

Fox examined the new mothership, a sleek, dreadnought-class heavy cruiser. "So… this is the Great Fox II, huh?"

"It looks exactly like the first one." Krystal commented.

"It does!" Slippy exclaimed, holding on to some papers. "They still had the blueprints from when the last one was constructed. The engineers have been working super hard to get it finished, maybe as a thank-you for when we beat all those Aparoids last year."

Krystal nodded. "It's true, everyone was really grateful for our efforts, and we did receive a large reward afterward."

"But, the loans from the first Great Fox haven't even been paid off yet. I still don't how we're going to afford another one." Fox wondered.

Falco crossed his arms. "You got a point there. All our work's going into something that's been destroyed. What a waste."

"Not to worry." Peppy said. "A large part of the finances from the Great Fox have been covered, so it isn't too much of a problem."

Fox's eyes widened. "Really? How?"

"I'll tell you once we get on board. How about we get this new ship flying?"

**…**

Slippy was right. Everything about the Great Fox II was almost exactly like the original. ROB 64, the robotic operator of the first Great Fox, was already hooked up to the new ship's main computer.

"_Great Fox II is ready to launch at any time."_ The android said when the team made it to the main hull.

"Tell me, how are part of our finances taken care of?" Fox asked Peppy.

"Apparently, some individual was generous enough to pay off a lot of our loans with their own money."

Fox was still baffled. "But who in their minds would be willing to do something like that? I'm not complaining or anything, I think it was really thoughtful of them. I just don't believe it…"

"Then you really won't believe who our mysterious donator is." Peppy said with a slightly amused look on his face, like he already knew who it was.

"Don't keep us waiting Peppy! Who was it?" Slippy asked excitedly.

"Here's the kicker- it was Starla Cordivo."

"What? No way!" Fox said in disbelief.

"Believe me, I was just as shocked as you were, Fox. Do you remember when the Cordivos left Corneria?" Peppy asked.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, five years after they left, Starla returned, and she's been living in Corneria since she came back."

"That was seven years ago." Fox replied. "So Starla has been back for two years, and we didn't even know?"

Peppy scratched his chin. "I guess so. We have been busy with some important missions, and our focus has mainly been on our work."

"If you don't mind me asking," Kyrstal spoke up, "who is Starla Cordivo?"

"Oh, she's just a friend of the family." Fox answered. "I knew the Cordivos fairly well when I was young."

"But more importantly, Starla's the wife of none other than the Legendary Pilot, William Cordivo!" Slippy finished.

Fox eyed him oddly before turning back to Krystal. "What he said."

"You've seen how good of a pilot Falco is, Krystal." Slippy said. "William's probably ten times better than him."

"Hey, I wouldn't say he's _that_ much better than me." Falco retorted.

Fox wasn't expecting the avian to speak up. He hadn't been paying much attention to their conversation. "Falco? You know who he is, too?"

"Heck yeah, I know about the guy." Falco said. "When it comes to ace pilots, a lot of people considered him to be the ace of aces. Dude's a living legend."

"Of course." Peppy straightened, looking prideful. "I was very fortunate to fly with him on several occasions, back when the Star Fox team was just James, Pigma and I. He was good friends with your father, Fox."

"So, was he actually a member of Star Fox?" Slippy asked.

Peppy shook his head. "No, William flew on his own most of the time. But he crossed paths with us many times and would help us out during missions."

"It sounds like he was very talented." Krystal said. "But then… if he's so well-known, why have I never heard of him before?"

"Not that many know about William these days, so you're not the only one, Krystal." Peppy said. "Nobody really talks about him much anymore, after he disappeared."

Krystal tilted her head. "Really? What happened?"

Fox and Slippy glanced at each other and shrugged. "No one knows." Fox answered. "Seven years ago, William, his wife, and his daughter just suddenly left the Lylat System, and they haven't been back since."

"That's horrible…" she whispered.

"Wait wait wait, what?!" Falco cut in. "Hold on, back up. You mean to tell me that the Legendary Pilot _got married?! _And had _a kid?!_"

Fox looked at Falco puzzlingly. "Well, yeah. Why is it so bad for him to settle down and start a family?"

"Because," Falco replied "legendary pilots like him don't settle down. And like Gramps said, he flew alone. He doesn't need some lovebird getting in his way."

"We're talking about William, Falco. Not you." Slippy said, not amused.

"Starla was a very capable pilot and knew her limits." Peppy argued. "She wasn't exceptionally talented like her husband, but at least she knew what she was doing."

Falco leaned back in his seat. "Alright, so the wife wasn't so bad. But what about the kid? It must've been hard for him to raise a pesky little fledgling."

"Don't even get started on Stella." Slippy groaned.

Fox was instantly reminded of her. A gray avian with dark blue tail feathers, Stella always had that same cheeky smile and perky and enthusiastic look in her green eyes whenever Fox saw her. And she was indeed, a pest.

"Heh." Falco smirked. "It looks like I nailed that one."

"Stella was… definitely a bit obnoxious at times." Fox admitted. "She just had a lot of energy that she didn't know what to do with, so she was pretty loud and always poking into other people's business. But she was still a good friend of mine, almost like a little sister, despite how young she was."

"Geez, it must not have been easy having to put up with someone who wouldn't leave you alone. Just how much younger was the little tyke?"

"Not as young as you would think, Falco." Fox said sternly. "She was only four years younger than Slippy and I."

"Yeah, and a real smart aleck when it came to flying." Slippy remarked. "Stella always tried to prove that she knew more about piloting than Fox and I. And half the time… she did."

"Heh, so how good of a pilot was she?" Falco asked.

Fox paused for a moment before he shook his head. "We never got the chance to find out. Stella ended up leaving all of a sudden with her parents when she was 13, so she was too young to fly at that time."

"Still, it sounds like she had a promising career as a pilot ahead of her." Krystal mused, putting her hand on Fox's shoulder.

"Yeah." It had been seven years since Fox had seen Stella Cordivo. If he was ever having a rough day, he could always count on her to cheer him up somehow. Once Stella wasn't around anymore, things were a lot quieter and not as bright as they used to be. Fox could still remember was she said before she left:

"_Cheer up! I'll be back one day, I promise!"_

**…**

The Great Fox II had just managed to break through Katina's atmosphere when ROB 64 intercepted an urgent transmission.

"_Incoming message from General Pepper."_

"Bring it up on screen, ROB." Fox told the robot. _I wonder what it could be about,_ he thought.

It definitely wasn't good news. The general of the Cornerian Army appeared on screen, looking serious and also distressed.

"Star Fox, once again we are in dire need of your assistance."

"General Pepper! What's happened?"

"The Lylat System is in grave peril. A dangerous fleet of ships is making their way to Corneria as we speak." The image changed to several unidentified frigates, siege cruisers, and fighter crafts, all being led by a large dreadnought mothership.

"Yikes!" Slippy shuddered.

"Well, they don't look friendly." Falco said.

Peppy took a closer look at the ships. On some of the larger ones, a green emblem that appeared to be made out of scales was painted on them. He winced. "I've seen those ships before… it's the Komodos…"

Krystal stared at the screen. "They're not from the Lylat System, that's for sure."

The image changed back to the general and he continued. "The planet, as you know, has not completely recovered from the Aparoid invasion last year and our remaining defense forces are limited in number. And since these invaders are from another part of the galaxy, we don't know what we're up against. I don't know how long our defenses can hold them off. But we need all the help we can get if we are ever to stand a chance against them…" General Pepper said solemnly.

"Just when I though we could finally have some peace…" Fox said to himself. He then nodded. "I understand, General. We'll be there as soon as possible. ROB, set a course for Corneria right away!"

* * *

**Next chapter, we'll finally have some action! This I can promise.**

**If you have any questions, comments, or advice, feel free to leave a review!**


	3. Defending Corneria

**Just when you thought I was gone forever... After 5 months, I finally put up a new chapter. Why have I been gone? The usual: college, lack of interest in writing, college, writer's block, college homework, and did I mention college?**

**As for the chapter, well... let's just say that I'm not very good with writing action scenes, so writing an action scene in space was much harder. I may go back and edit this chapter at some point, but for now, enjoy!**

* * *

When the Great Fox II neared Corneria's orbit, the team was able to spot the invading fleet from a distance. Once they intercepted the Komodo's path, Fox, Falco, Slippy, and Krystal quickly ran to the launching platform and hopped in their Arwings. Once the cockpits were closed, they checked their G-Diffuser systems.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Fox asked the team once the communication channel was live.

"I'm good to go!" Slippy replied.

"Everything looks fine on my end." Falco said.

"Mine too." Krystal answered.

Fox gave ROB the okay to release the lift locks.

"Don't forget, these invaders aren't from the Lylat System, so their tactics might be different than what you're used to." Peppy advised the team as they were about to take off. "Be prepared for anything."

"Let's go!" Fox gripped the Arwing's controllers. "Initiating takeoff in three… two… one!"

The four pilots were launched into space.

**...**

As soon as the team arrived at the space battleground, they immediately sprung into action. They started targeting the Komodo's basic fighter crafts, since the heavier spacecraft was farther up ahead. Even though the Komodo forces were high in numbers, they weren't necessarily high in skill. Fox noted how easy it was to shoot them down. Krystal had managed to fire at a starfighter's wing, causing it to crash into another starfighter. Everything seemed to be going fine for the first few minutes, nothing too substantial, until Fox heard Slippy's voice through the communicator.

"Fox! I've got some enemies on my tail!"

"What, already?" Fox said, with a hint of annoyance.

Falco joined in. "Sheesh, how did you manage to get chased by _these _guys?"

"Come on, it's not my fault they pick on me."

"Didn't Peppy tell us to be prepared for anything?" Fox sighed. "Just hold on until I can find you."

It wasn't long until he found Slippy, who was being tailed by two Komodo starfighters. Firing some lasers at the starfighters, Fox made quick work of them.

"Whew! Thanks! Let me tell you, it is NOT fun being chased around all the time." Slippy said. Fox just shook his head, slightly amused at his friend's comment.

**...**

Back at the Great Fox II, Peppy heaved a sigh of relief once Fox took down the enemies chasing Slippy. "Can't he be more careful?" he said to himself. "Slippy hasn't even been in the battle for five minutes and he already gets tailed!"

"_To be exact, four minutes, 38 seconds, 157 nanoseconds." _ROB 64 confirmed.

"I think that's a new record."

**...**

"General Cobra sir! Enemy reinforcements have entered the area. One dreadnought battle cruiser and four starfighters. I think they might be mercenaries."

"How do you know they're with the Cornerian army?"

"Because they've just destroyed six of our best starfighers. Actually, only one of the mercenaries did that. But they look really tough. It won't be easy to take them down!"

General Cobra stroked his chin. "Hmmm…"

**...**

"Looks like the Komodos are bringing out more battleships." Fox pointed out.

"Now things are getting interesting!" Falco said excitedly.

"Just don't let your guard down, any of you." Peppy warned. "Fox and Krystal, you two go left. Falco and Slippy, take the right."

They each flew off in their designated directions. Falco barrel rolled toward a heavy siege ship, firing a barrage of lasers at its sentry cannons, effectively hindering it from attacking them. Slippy did the same thing on the opposite side, although without the same fancy flying skills that Falco had. However, that still left the main cannons, which Falco was already heading toward with Slippy following behind.

"Look out, Falco!" Slippy shouted when he noticed the avain's Arwing was directly in front of the cannons. "I think the ship's about to—"

But just before the battleship could fire at Falco, he swiftly dodged the giant laser beam.

"…Oh." Slippy said bluntly.

"What are you worried about, froggy? I know what I'm doing." Falco started firing at the main cannons, but his attacks kept bouncing off the spacecraft.

"I don't think a normal laser is going to take out those cannons." Slippy said. "They're protected by a shield."

As Krystal focused on one of the larger battleships like the one Falco and Slippy were trying to take down, she managed to pinpoint its weak spot. "I see it… just above that ship's wing, the area around there is a blind spot. It's extremely vulnerable."

"If you can launch a bomb near that spot, it might cause the entire ship's system to fail." Peppy noted.

Fox flew his Arwing toward the battleship, dodging the lasers shot at him. "It's worth a shot." Locking on to the suggested area, Fox fired a Smart Bomb at the ship, where it managed to get attached to the weak point. Then, immediately flying away, Fox detonated the bomb. At first, it looked to the Komodos that he was retreating, but after a couple seconds, there was a massive explosion that made the whole battleship fall apart, starting with the wing.

"Hey, it worked!" Slippy cheered.

"Good job at finding the ship's weak point, Krystal." Fox said to her. "I didn't know your telepathy could do that."

"It can't." Krystal admitted. "I was just able to tell that the shields didn't have that area protected. That, and I may have read the thoughts of one of the ship's engineers. They know everything about how it works and where its weak points are."

**...**

"General Cobra!" A soldier dashed inside, with a look of panic across his face. "The reinforcements that just arrived, they've destroyed one of our heavy siege cruisers!"

"I hope you have a good explanation for this, Cobra." A deep, rough voice behind the general said. "I'm not going to watch some ragtag team of mercenaries obliterate my entire fleet!"

"Quiet." Cobra said calmly. "I know what I'm doing."

**...**

"Yo Fox, I think they caught on to our plans." Falco said as he tried to fire at the blind spot of the large battleship. "Every time Slippy and I try to aim at the spot Krystal suggested, their sentry guns start shooting at us!"

"Yeah, I've noticed." Fox replied.

"And it looks like the sentry machines are protected by stronger shields." Krystal added. "Even if we try to destroy it first, it won't do us any good."

"Hey, I've got an idea." Slippy said as he scanned the siege cruiser. "Whenever the battleship fires its main cannons, the shields protecting it go down for a little bit, leaving an opening. If you can get a bomb in there just before it fires, it'll destroy the cannons! And maybe even the whole battleship!"

"I don't know, that sounds awfully dangerous…" Peppy objected.

"Heh, no problem." Falco said, flying toward the ship's primary cannon.

"Falco, the last time you tried a stunt like that, you almost got blown up." Fox warned the ace pilot as he shot down some more Komodo starfighters.

"Yeah, except now I know to use a bomb this time."

"Just don't blame me if that cannon fries your Arwing, or blasts you all the way to Venom."

Falco zeroed in on the main cannon. "The only ones who are gonna end up in Venom are these lizard freaks."

"Get ready, it's about to fire." Slippy said when he saw that shields were down.

At the front of the battleship, Falco launched a Smart Bomb inside the cannon. Instead of sticking around, Falco flew off once the bomb was in place. The cannon started to glow a bright red, preparing to fire. But before it could shoot a giant energy beam straight at the Great Fox, the bomb went off and the cannon exploded, falling off the siege cruiser. Then there was a second blast, followed by a third, and soon the ship was nothing more than pieces of floating metal scrap in space.

"There goes another enemy ship." Falco boasted.

Fox nodded in approval. "Well, I guess if anyone's got the guts to pull that off, it's gonna be you, Falco."

"You know it!"

"Sheesh, show-off." Slippy good-naturedly teased. "And I was the one who came up with the idea." He said to himself.

**...**

"Sir, they've just brought down another heavy siege cruiser!" the soldier said to Cobra. "All our forces are dropping like flies! If this keeps up, we might have to pull back and recuperate!"

"Then there's no need to retreat, because it looks like these are our biggest threats." General Cobra smirked. "I think it's time we brought out our secret weapon."

"W-wait, you don't mean…?" the soldier stuttered.

"Are the forces in Sector U positioned?" Cobra asked the soldier.

"I… I think so, sir."

"Good! We'll have the remaining troops cease fire and return to base." General Cobra eye's glinted with amusement as he watched the Star Fox team. "Enjoy these precious few moments you have in the Lylat System… because they'll be your last."

**...**

Back in the space battleground, the team was surprised to notice that the Komodo forces had suddenly ceased fire and were flying back to their mothership.

"We did it! The ships are retreating!" Slippy gleefully shouted.

"Ha! That was almost too easy!"

Krystal's ears twitched. "But… something doesn't feel right. Are they really retreating?"

"Be _very_ careful," Peppy warned the team, "the Komodos might be up to something."

Soon, the Komodo forces had rallied back behind their mothership, leaving the rest of the battleground empty with just the Star Fox team.

"So, this is the legendary Star Fox team…" General Cobra said in their communications channel. "I must admit, for a ragtag team of mercenaries, you are quite skillful. I was expecting our invasion to be much… easier."

"Easy for us, you mean." Falco retorted. "You call this an invasion? I could probably take down this entire fleet myself!"

"Hmm, yes. I'm sure you could… this is all just a walk in the park for you, isn't it?"

"Enough fooling around! Are you going to surrender?" Fox demanded.

"Surrender?" General Cobra shrugged, slowly shaking his head. "Why would I do that? You've hardly dealt a blow to my forces. No, I think I'll keep going while my chances are still high."

"This doesn't make any sense…" Krystal said. "Why aren't they doing anything?"

"One thing I will mention… is that you're all much more foolish than I expected you to be!" Cobra sneered as he pulled a lever, sending out 3 small probes.

Krystal's eyes widened. "No! He tricked us!" she gasped.

The probes circled around each other, gradually getting faster. Soon, an electrical charge formed in the center, revealing a large portal that started to drag the Star Fox team in.

"It's a wormhole generator!" Slippy panicked. "It's going to pull us in!"

"Quick! Get away from it as soon as possible!" Fox told the team. They all turned their Arwings around and tried to escape the wormhole's pull, using any maneuver possible. However, the wormhole was stronger and soon the Arwings were slowly being dragged inside. Not even the Great Fox II could withstand its powerful force, and it too started to succumb to the wormhole generator.

"Don't give up! Just keep fighting back!" Peppy said as he and the rest of the team struggled to escape.

"Say goodbye to the Lylat System, Star Fox!" Cobra taunted when the team was almost to the portal. "You won't be coming back!"

"Fox!" Slippy stammered. He was the closest to the portal. "Our Arwings… they can't resist this much force! We're gonna get sucked inside!"

"No we're not!" Fox said determinedly. "Just hold on!"

"I-I can't... I think I might—AAAAUUUGH!" Slippy was pulled through and his communication suddenly ceased.

"NO! Slippy!" Fox shouted.

"That two-faced snake!" Falco grimaced. "He's gonna pay for what he did…!" Soon he met the same demise as Slippy, leaving Fox, Krystal, and Peppy.

"Fox, I'm so sorry!" Krystal said dejectedly. "I should have known he would trick us. I should have noticed it sooner!"

"It's not your fault, Krystal!" he said to her. They both resisted for as long as they could, but it didn't last, as Krystal spiraled in the wormhole, followed by Fox shortly afterward.

"You'll never get away with this…" Peppy said to Cobra just before the Great Fox II was dragged inside the portal.

"And just who's going to stop me?" General Cobra jeered. "The Legendary Pilot? It's quite a shame he's not here to help you. Without him, you don't put up much of a fight." He increased the wormhole generator's power, and soon the powerful assault carrier was gone along with the rest of Star Fox. Cobra could hear the team's shouts of distress through the communication's channel as they spun erratically through the portal until there was silence. He assumed they had lost consciousness… or worse.

Satisfied, the General chuckled as he cut off Star Fox's transmission. "Now that they're out of the way, nothing will be able to resist us!"

"And you're certain that using that weapon against those mercenaries will be worth it?" came the gruff voice again.

"Of course it will, Damon." Cobra smirked. "I have no doubt."

**...**

Back at the Cornerian Army's Headquarters, General Pepper met with his highest ranked members and the Research Director to discuss plans regarding the invasion.

"This… is not good." Pepper lamented. "I was hoping the Star Fox team would be able to hold them off. But not even they could stop them."

Beltino Toad adjusted his glasses. "Well, we do have the planet's defense shield, which just got built not too long ago. It should be able to protect us for now while we call for more reinforcements."

General Pepper pounded the table. "Absolutely not! It hasn't been tested yet. It could fail to defend the planet, or worse, it could destroy part of Corneria! The Aparoids have already done enough damage already. We can't take the risk!"

"…But it's the only chance we have at holding them off." A feminine voice said. "At least until the Star Fox team is able to return."

"It can't be…" General Pepper looked up to see a blue jay standing before him, with a serious expression on her face. "It's you… Starla Cordivo!"

"Hello, General Pepper." Starla said. "It's been a while."

"Seven years, if we're being specific." Beltino clarified.

She nodded. "Right, but we're not here to talk about me." Starla turned her attention to General Pepper. "Star Fox… they're still alive. The Komodos just used a wormhole generator to send them away, so it's possible they can make their way back here. General Cobra wouldn't pull out any bigger weapons until he gets closer to Corneria."

"And you know what these weapons are?" Pepper asked.

"I know some of them." She answered. "My husband managed to collect nearly all the information on the Komodo's plans: their ships, weapons, and battle strategies. The only question is _how_ do we destroy some of the more dangerous weapons."

"Are you saying that you don't know?"

Starla shook her head. "I only know what they are and what some of them do. William had devised plans to take out the weapons and he stored them on a device. All the data about the Komodo Forces were kept on that device. But only he knew how to access the data."

"I'm sure it's nothing that I can't handle." Beltino said. "Do you know where the device is?"

"Unfortunately," she sighed, "William always kept the plans with him. And since he's lost in space… it's probably lost too."

"This is quite the predicament." General Pepper mused. "Very well, I'll allow the defense shield to be used, but the citizens in that area will have to be evacuated in case something goes wrong. Meanwhile, Starla, I want you to tell me everything you know about the situation at hand. Any information you have will be a great help to us."

Starla nodded. "I'll be happy to assist in any way I can."

"Excellent. By the way, do you have any idea where the Star Fox team could possibly be?" he asked.

"That… I don't know for sure." She said admittedly. "But, if I had to guess… they're probably somewhere in the Dimitri System."

* * *

**Well, I hope the next chapter is better than this. I'm a bit better at writing ground action scenes, and that's a hint for what will happen next chapter, which hopefully will be posted in less than 5 months!**


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